Post Honeymoon – First Morning Home
by Sullys Sidekick
Summary: Newlyweds, Michaela and Sully have arrived home from their two week honeymoon in Denver. The following morning, Sully makes a valiant attempt to give his new wife time to herself as he wrestles with driving passionate forces sparked by their marital union


Post Honeymoon – First Morning Home 

By: Tess Thieler (Sully's Sidekick)

This story was written with the romantic Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman fan in mind.

If you felt cheated in "A New Life", like I did, when Sully neglected to kiss Michaela

good-bye then it is my hope you will enjoy this revision of that scene.

**S**unlight filtering through the crisp linen curtains awakened Sully to the dawn of a new day. As his vision adjusted to the increasing light, the dainty features of the attractive woman sleeping soundly by his side mesmerized his mind. His heart swelled as the boundless love he felt for Michaela stirred within. Their two-week honeymoon, spent in Denver, flew by so quickly; he could scarcely believe they were actually home – their home. The one he meticulously built with his own two hands. Lying there on this very first morning home in the massive hand-carved bed he crafted as a wedding gift to his delightful bride, he realized that he'd never experienced a love as deep as he felt for Michaela. His gaze again caressed her delicate face, merely inches from his own. Oh how he'd love to awaken her with a good-morning kiss, but instinct told him he wouldn't want to stop there. Over the last two weeks, he'd been demanding enough with his masculine urges, although, Michaela never complained. On the contrary, she seemed to encourage his aggressions from time to time. Surely, by now, she'd want time to herself… time to be with the children again… time to catch up on work at her clinic. His conscience gnawed at him as it made an attempt to quell the fire kindling in his brain. Unexpectedly, his wife's soft warm breath cascaded gently across his cheek. That did it. He HAD to get out of there – NOW. If she woke, he may be powerless against the magnetic pull her closeness created. Slipping quietly out from beneath the double wedding ring quilt, he dressed quickly and blew a subtle silent kiss to his sleeping bride as he closed their bedroom door.

The brisk morning air helped to calm the rising tide within as Sully made his way to the barn, hungrily biting at an apple he'd taken from the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Dried beef and a canteen full of water would serve as lunch. After saddling his horse and securing the canteen, he placed the beef in a saddlebag then led his mount outside in time to see Brian and Colleen stepping off the porch on their way to school.

"Sully!" they both hollered, darting towards him.

"Mornin' kids."

"Where's Ma," Brian questioned anxiously.

Sully anchored a hand to the boy's shoulder. "She's still sleepin'."

Brian eyed his hero who was now his Pa, "Where' you goin'?"

"Just gonna pay a visit to Cloud Dancing." He patted Brian's shoulder. "You two best get goin'; it's a long walk to school."

"O.k. Sully," they agreed and headed down the road.

Sully waved as they disappeared around the bend. Turning his back to the house, he concentrated on tightening the saddle's cinch. His plan was working… he'd be out of here in no time.

"Sully?"

As his name echoed in a familiar dulcet tone, his limber muscles transformed to stone and he caught his breath. He hadn't expected Michaela to awaken so quickly. _Just stay in control_, he mentally ordered himself. Twisting to face his lovely wife, he hadn't prepared himself for the vision before him. There Michaela stood, just within reach, barefooted, hair unbrushed, wearing nothing more than her nightdress with a meager knitted shawl pulled about her shoulders.

"Michaela!" he shockingly expressed, "You're not dressed!"

"You've seen me like this before," she calmly explained.

"You should be wearin' your housecoat," he insisted.

Michaela smiled. "I'm not cold… and I didn't want you to ride off without a kiss good-bye – I already missed the children."

She stepped closer and Sully swallowed the lump in his throat as his back pressed against the side of the saddle. She was doing it to him again. Her big beautiful eyes locked with his, triggering a surge of passionate energy racing through his veins. Moving quickly, he dropped the horse's reins into her hand, stepped sideways and headed into the barn.

While Michaela patiently waited for her husband, she talked softly to his horse. Stroking his neck, she admired the stunning animal. As much as she enjoyed the velvety feel of his smooth hair beneath her hand, with the children gone, she'd much rather be touching her husband now. That last thought took her by surprise yet again. Being married to Sully forced her to see her husband through new eyes. He existed as a part of her now, a feeling more powerful than any she'd ever known.

As the minutes passed, Sully neglected to reappear. She called out his name, but received no response. Concerned, she looped his horse's reins to a fencepost then headed into the barn, closing the door until it latched behind her. Confusion replaced concern as she witnessed her virile husband pitching a pile of clean hay from one side of an unused stall to its opposite end. Perspiration marked his forehead. He worked so quickly, making so much noise, it's no wonder he hadn't heard her. Raising her voice, she attempted it again.

"Sully!"

Startled by her outburst, hay slid off the pitchfork up into the air, raining down over him as he slowly turned toward his wife. His chest heaved with every breath and he swiped a sleeve across his moist brow.

Michaela moved to his side to brush the hay from his shoulders and pull bits of it from his hair. "Sully, what's going on?"

Caught, he now owed her some kind of explanation. "I needed to keep busy is all."

Confusion creased her brow. "But that hay was fine where it was."

He released a pent breath of frustration and glanced away. "I was just tryin' to keep my distance from ya for awhile." His vivid blue eyes then locked with hers.

"Do you feel sick?"

He shook his head.

"But," her soft voice wavered, "I thought you… enjoyed my company?"

Sully's jaw tensed as he struggled for self-control. "I do… too much," he admitted, shifting his weight. "That's the problem."

"I don't understand."

"Michaela, I'm tryin' real hard here to give you some time to yerself." He leaned the pitchfork against the stall wall. "If I kiss ya good-bye now, I may not be able to hold back."

Michaela's bright smile and sudden blushing complexion told him that she now understood. He eyed her cautiously, "What about the clinic?"

"It can wait 'til tomorrow." She stepped even closer allowing Sully's hands to caress her tiny waist. "It's our first morning home," she began in a seductive whisper, "and the children are gone… and I'd like a good-morning kiss." Boldly, her hands glided over his firm chest to his rugged shoulders.

"I may want more than just one," he warned her.

Her eyes became hooded as she smiled slyly, "I'll risk it."

Sully grinned. "You said that once before," he reminded her, "when we shared a teepee before goin' to look for Brian."

"I remember… and nothing happened then. Why should now be any different?"

"Cause we're married." Her shawl fell to the ground as his hands restlessly slid from her waist and curved up towards her shoulders, drawing her closer.

"And why does being married make a difference?" she taunted, leaning teasingly closer.

Sully's jaw twitched. "Cause now I know what you're hiding beneath that nightdress."

A low growl emitted deep within his throat as he tenderly claimed her inviting lips. Michaela's hands framed her husband's handsome face as she intentionally deepened the kiss. In all her life, no man had ever awakened this powerful yearning so deep inside her; something she could barely put into words. Her body trembled as she descended to the soft pile of hay bringing her husband with her.

Sully sank to his knees, bridging his fervent masculine body over hers. His heart leapt with joy. Here he was, trying desperately to force himself to give Michaela some space, and all along, she held the same hunger for him that he had for her. Mentally acknowledging his new wife's need for complete privacy, he reluctantly pulled his arms from beneath her, and rising up on his knees, purposely broke their heated embrace. His ardent gaze lingered over Michaela's passion glazed eyes as he stripped himself from his shirt and then the heavy leather belt, which carried various necessities he needed for daily life. Withdrawing his tomahawk, he took careful aim and flung it through the stall opening, embedding the sharpened edge firmly into the barn door just above the latch. Now, no one could enter without its removal.

"I secured your horse to a fence post," she breathlessly assured him. Her radiant smile confirmed her approval of his actions and he extended a hand, gently pulling her to her feet as he rose up with her.

Swiftly retrieving a blanket that hung over the open stall door, Sully spread it over the soft pile of hay. As he hastily drew his wife into another masterful kiss, he embarked on the task of freeing Michaela from her concealing nightdress. The kisses he slowly bestowed down her neck tickled her skin and his scruffy stubble tantalized her senses; her breath came in ragged spurts. With half the buttons undone, Sully's warmed hands ventured across her collarbone and rounded over her graceful shoulders. The nightdress pooled at her feet as it fell to the hay-covered floor. Her body, now completely revealed to her husband, trembled with anticipation. Sully caught his breath as he lovingly admired Michaela's feminine curves. Gingerly, his grasp followed the natural path from her shoulders to her delicate hands. He then lifted each one to his lips, making a feeble attempt to slow the pace. Unable to hold off any longer, he fumbled with his buckskins and removed the last remaining material barrier between them. Michaela's blush deepened as she viewed her husband's magnificent body. Drawn helplessly to each other like moths to a flame that they themselves ignited, they melted together, allowing their passions to override all conscious connections to the world beyond the barn door. As Sully's eager lips sought Michaela's with a fierceness that she had recently become familiar with, she felt herself being lifted by her husband's strong arms against his sturdy chest. Never breaking the fiery kiss, she encircled her arms about his neck as he nestled her snuggly onto the blanket, covering her body with his own heated flesh. Locked securely within an impassioned lover's embrace, they surrendered completely into love's consuming rapturous waves.

Breathless, basking in the aftermath of marital bliss, Michaela using Sully's shoulder as a pillow, they tugged the corners of the blanket over each other. Slightly embarrassed by her own boldness, Michaela remained silent. Gently running her fingers across her husband's firm chest, she wondered what he must think of his new wife. Surprising her, Sully planted a light kiss to her forehead. Michaela tilted her head and glanced up; her husband's eyes locked with hers… his expression unreadable.

Sully drew in a long fortifying breath. "I'm sorry, Michaela."

Confusion momentarily numbed her brain. "Sorry?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"I didn't hurt ya?"

"No, you didn't hurt me." Her cheeks flushed knowingly.

"But I thought... maybe I…" His fingers traced the curves of her angelic face; caring and concern conveyed with his loving gesture. "I heard ya cry out… just before…"

Michaela's flushed face deepened in color. "I… I don't know why I did that – it just … happened." She shifted her eyes from his penetrating gaze. "I can't imagine what you must think of me."

Relief blanketed over Sully as he realized he hadn't _hurt_ her… on the contrary; he _intensified_ her experience. A grin curved his lips as an ever-deepening shade of pink invaded his beautiful wife's complexion. Before she could utter another word, Sully relieved her of her worry. "I think," he began seriously, gently angling her chin so he could look her in the eye, "you are the most fascinating, incredibly beautiful woman, I could ever imagine being my wife."

"Then you're not ashamed of me?"

"Ashamed!?" Impulsively he sat up, bringing her with him. "Michaela, what we just shared was so…," he kissed her forehead, "wonderful…," he kissed her cheek, "powerful…," he kissed the other, "and magical." Their eyes caught and held steady. "Every man should be so lucky."

As Sully drew her snuggly against him, holding her tight, a strong feeling of security washed over her at his words. He kissed the top of her head and the blush in her cheeks faded to a light rosy hue.

Thankful for her husband's open-mindedness, she relaxed. "Sully?"

"H'mm."

"I'd still like that good-morning kiss."

Surprised by his wife's sudden taunt, he pulled back just enough to witness her expression. She grinned at him and they both laughed.

"For a moment there," he started, "I thought you were serious."

"I am serious," she countered. "Aren't you still heading out?"

"If ya don't mind… I'd like to check on Cloud Dancing an' see how he's doin'." He plucked several pieces of straw from her long brown tresses.

"I don't mind. And you're right; I need a little time to myself. I have some things that still need unpacked."

"I'll try to be home for supper." He moved to stand, but Michaela kept her arms anchored firmly around his virile frame.

"I'd still like that kiss," she insisted.

"You're playing with fire," he informed her, positioning his lips only a hair's breath away from another kiss.

Just before Sully granted Michaela's request, she murmured, "I'll risk it."


End file.
